Summary:Unknown animals in the park can spark strange conversations. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Spider-Man is doing his daily route, which is turning slowly into night. This is his "three-hour tour," and yes, he sung it to his "ride-along" as he checked the rigging.
The "ride-along," of course, is the irrepressible and very gracious Thea, who has accepted Spidey's invite to join him on his route. The new harness allows her to hang on his back, looking over his shoulder as he webslings through the city.
They are done with the Financial District and are heading north along the west side of Central Park. He has been at this for two hours, and as he had said, he shows no sign of tiring. Thea was given an option to quick-release if she wanted to, and was offered a base-jumper parachute, just in case. But right now, based on the happy squeals as he did his 15th quadruple half-gainer, she was doing just fine.
"Okay, Thea, we're heading north, checking out the park as we get north of the lake. There should be a water bottle in the right side of the harness…hang on."
A somersault, and then they are cruising above the traffic at a healthy 70 MPH.
Thea may have been slightly less giddy to start, but as the webslinging and somersaulting tour goes on, she's just enjoying it. It's a wild ride mixed with a whole new point of view of the city she was born in.
She had appreciated his responsibility in offering her security options, but the biokinetic has full faith in Peter. She will just relax, for a change - there's little chance of someone needing her or troubling her while she's swooshing through the air with Spidey.
There is an ongoing problem that both shapeshifters and superheroes have in common. Clothing changes. While a wild cat might stash a kill in a tree, Catseye is currently carrying a weatherproof bag gently in her jaws. Half-form is useful for tying bags up and securing them, but when it comes to making a leap, there's nothing like full lion! She tries to go unseen, but well, it's New York, and even the most jaded resident might start at the sight of a large lavender lion. But she is not hurting anyone or causing trouble. Just lurking in the tree tops as she tries to establish caches in various parts of the park.
Having gotten off work somewhat early - for her - only an hour late is early for Avery, anyway—out early, Avery decides to continue her explorations of the strange metropolis of New York. She's dressed in running shoes, khaki shorts, and a hoodie as she runs at a good clip. Not nearly as fast as Spidey and passenger's 70 miles per hour, though! As she runs she does seem to go out of her way to pick the most challenging route to take, often rolling over, sliding under, or twisting through a dizzying array of obstacles. She does take care not to inconvenience any -people- of course, that would be rude!
As of yet she's not seen any lurking lavender lionesses leaping limb to limb in the leaf covered tops of the trees, but…how long can that last? The pace she's set herself is the sort of thing a marathon running might pick, ground devouring but sustainable.
Spidey is smiling wryly under the mask. He can't help it. Thea seems so genuinely HAPPY when they are doing this. She's been a serious person, with bursts of coyness, amusement, and sardonic chuckles, but outright joy? Stack this up against getting the perfect snapshot of some African royalty, and THIS is the one he will remember forever…
Then a beep on the Spider-Comm system, an alert from his phone appearing on the HUD. "CENTRAL PARK, WEST SIDE - LARGE WILD ANIMAL SIGHTING."
"Looks like I have to go to work, Thea. We're going in low and not very slow. Get ready to unlatch when I give the go-word!"
It is true that Thea is altogehter too often overly serious, but in her line of work… is it previous line of work, or is she just governemtn sanctioned now? She's not sure, and until she's sure, she's not telling anyone - not even Peter. But really, who could resist the adrenaline rush, the beauty of the city? Add in the fact she gets to marvel at Peter's physiology up close and personal - it's a trifecta.
"Don't worry about me. Don't run off too far, I'll come help after I shuck the parachute pack." She will close her eyes a moment, going from carefree to business mode.
Catseye is not aware of Spiderman yet, however she spots Avery's run. It's interesting, parkour-like the way she goes over and around obstacles. Definitely worth watching. So Catseye starts to parallel her at the middle distance in the trees, treetop to treetop, shifting when needed though full fur form works best when hands are not needed. The spine is more twisty, the leaps further, the scents sharper. She rumbles with happiness, this is fun!
A pause to take out a bottle as she runs, Avery sips from it as she hops up onto a metal handrail as she scampers down some steps. Okay…that sort of balance…that's a little bit exceptional, maybe a lot. To sharp feline senses that drink is…odd…smells like something one would feed a hummingbird! Regardless, instead of just skipping off at the landing she turns it into a somersault, shoulder rolling and bleeding off momentum to allow her to change course without breaking stride.
That bottle? No sign of it anymore.
Out of the corner of her eye the young woman notes a discrepancy…flashes of lavender in the tree tops…that's not normal…
Avery has also seen no signs…not yet…of the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman, though that's not going to last either!
Spidey swings around, then fires two weblines to slingshot him and Thea forward over the path towards the lone runner. She does have some moves, but better safe than very, very sorry. The feline wouldn't have any trouble catching two scents, one human, one…not quite human, with something else.
Spider-Man spots the jogger, slowing to land on the path ahead of Avery…and then there is a click, and Thea descends to stand on her own feet as if departing from a city bus. The distance still seems safe enough.
Spider-Man holds up a hand, and really, he is hard to miss. The DAILY BUGLE has a lot to say about him, that's for sure. "Ma'am…? You might want to leave the park? There's been a sighting of a large wild animal and I figured I'd give you a heads-up so you can shift into Park-our and head due west? That'll take you out of the park."
That click has Thea ready, and she will brace for the impact, landing with slightly bent knees. Strawberry blonde hair is wisping out of her braid what with all the flying and flipping around. She will start running along behind PEter as he swings. He can totally handle himself, but back up never hurts. She will flash a smile at Avery, not yet shucking the parachute pack. Don't want to leave it out in the open!
Catseye pauses in the treetops, curling deeper into a branch shadow. Large wild animal? She's not smelled anything like that. Maybe something escaped from the zoo? Or maybe someone saw her, but… she's LAVENDER. It would take a very silly person to think something lavender was a wild animal. She hangs her bag off a branch protrusion and works her mouth, licking her fangs. Synthetic fibers are NOT tasty. And if she has to explain herself, it's rude to speak with your mouth full.
A blink as Spidey and friend land, to her credit Avery doesn't end up on her rear, but it was close. Definitely got some moves this young lady! And then she smiles at the brightly clad man. "Oh my, a large animal? A predator do you think?" She looks towards the treetops. "I did notice some flickers of lavender up high, but…I know not of any beast with that coloration." Okay, her speech patterns and accent…both antiquated and with an underlying hint of something almost, but not quite, British. Really, the accent has no analog.
Far from intimidated, her gold-flecked hazel eyes brighten with interest as she scans the trees, and area. "Well, if it be your intent to hunt the animal, I would offer my aid to the endeavor." A pause to tap one cheek. "Though I do lack a fully body covering as you sport, sir." Thea's smile is returned, and brightly. The girl's warmth extending beyond just the skin.
Spidey glances at her oddly, but does not dispute the facts. She has seen something, but lavender IS an odd color. "Well, we don't know anything yet. It could be someone's idea of a prank, but we sould still make sure. For all we know, it may not be hunting, or even a predator animal. That's why we have to make sure." He looks to Thea. "Do you see or sense anything?"
Thea will stop, finally freeing herself of the parachute pack, carrying it with her as of yet. "I'm not seeing anything, yet." The biokinetic will spin slowly, paying some extra attention to the trees. "I mean, where is a large animal going to hide? I'm a city girl, so I don't know wild animals much."
Catseye ponders that question. Depends on the animal, really. She uses the trees more than a real lion would, they would be lounging in the open. Tigers lurk in high grass, boar in shrub, forest… well, to be fair, boar don't HIDE much, obnoxious things. They're tasty though. She gives a long, slow stretch and shifts to cat-girl form, fiddles with the straps on the bag, so it can hang around her neck but not choke her, then shifts back to lion form. There. The bumping will be annoying, but better than not having clothes.
"Oh, splendid! I'm exactly the opposite, miss! I am far better acquainted with the wilds than the urban." And then Avery looks mildly appalled. "Forgive me, gentles…I am entirely bereft of manners, my name is Avery Aaronson." She looks to Spidey. "You sir, I have read of in the Daily Bugle, though methinks perhaps the words bandied about are shy of the truth in much the same way night is shy of day." A brief flash of smile. "You do speak truly when you urge caution and examination, as I said, barring some strange chance, there be no beast I know of with that coloration." She turns then to Thea. "And forgive me, but most large animals do not scamper about just below the canopy, that's…unusual to say the very least."
Spider-Man nods. "Okay. I'll go higher to try and get a better look." He reaches one hand upward, and a thin webline shoots out from a small device under his wrist, impacting one of the trees. He pulss himself up hard, yanking the line and slingshotting himself up into the tree, landing lightly on a branch. He begins looking around, trying to catch the sight of light purple. "If you see anything before I do, sing out, Angel. You too, Miss Aaronson." A pause. "I do appreciate the kind words, though."
Thea will beam at Avery. "Angel." Since that's what Peter's called her openly, now. "And you're quite right. He's a real good guy, but people like to not see it." Thea shrugs, moving to put her pack down. "Will do, Spidey!" She will move a few steps and slowly turning again, trying to scan from sky down versus ground up. "This is New York. Unusual is so common it's pretty much usual."
Catseye blinks at Spiderman swings up into her tree! Ok, this is just too tempting. She carefully creeps down trunk to the branch Spiderman is on, her tail up, hooked, and quivering with happy amusement. She creeps silently up behind Spiderman, not shaking the branch, stretches up to put her cold wet nose right at the back of his neck, and HUFFS a breath there! Her whiskers are arched with amusement at her little prank.
Spider-Man turns suddenly and comes face-to muzzle with a large lavender lion.
Spidey's entire body jerks in surprise, and his body reacts before his brain comprehends. He utters a loud yell (a sound that sounds like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUL5w91dzbo ) and VAULTS backwards out of the tree and into the air above the path. He realizes as he falls that the brick path is VERY hard and fires a webline to snag the light pole extended over the path, halting his downward spiral to hang upside down, looking around everywhere, then up at the tree he was flushed from.
"Angel, and Spider-Man, charmed to be sure." Avery answers, and even mocks a curtsey - after all - not wearing skirts! She watches the wall-crawler thwip a webline off into the trees, a soft 'ooh' following what she sees, and then she smiles warmly to Thea. "Every day here an adventure be!" She agrees readily. Eyes peeled, she casts about looking for any sort of signs of the beastie in the trees, even going so far as to vanish a moment, and then appear in essentially that SAME moment, up near the level she saw the movement. Effortlessly balancing on the branches, she hunkers down to look for claw marks or other signs just in time to see Catseye scare the bejeezus out of Spidey! That smug expression on the lion's form, that's…okay, that's damn funny. It takes heroic effort, but she doesn't laugh! Not quite. Barely.
What IS apparent — yon great beastie is /not/ attacking!
There's a slight curious look at Avery for the strange lexicon, but Thea's heard worse. She will keep moving, until she hears PEter give that yell, and she will turn towards it, facial muscles tensing. "Spidey?" Comes out a moment later as he dangles. She will rush over his way, ignoring the disappearind and reappearing. It's not that unusual to Thea, either. She's seen a lot of weirdness, lately.
She will linger near Peter, looking around again, a glance. "Do you see anything, miss Avery?"
Catseye decides to plop out on a branch, in full view now. "Catseye says hello, Spiderguy!" The voice is female, rich with amusement. And comes what looks like a very large, very lavender lion with golden eyes and a fluffy, curly mane just not found in the wild. Around her neck hangs a bag on a strap, so between the talking, the bag, and being -LAVENDER- probably not a wild beast. "Not smell any wildbeasts. Squirrels not count. Squirrels stupid. Can check near zoo, yes?" Her tail lashes slowly from side to side as she studies the other three.
Spider-Man gazes up at the large feline and blinks. Okay…it talks, too. And it's wearing a backpack. So, we have a smart lavender lion. And it has a name, too.
"Uhm…hello, Catseye." He looks around. "How…long were you up there?"
*And while you're up there,* he thinks ruefully, *…can you look around for my dignity? 'Cause I know I lost it up there…*
"Yeaaaaaah, that's no regular cat type lion." Thea is a master of the obvious. "The throat and mouth are more human than feline, and…" The biokinetic is just frowning, staring. She sees things in such an odd way. "A shifter type, maybe?"
She will finally glance at Peter. "You okay?" Then she will look around for Avery. Head count, make sure everyone is a-ok!
Catseye peers at Spidey, "Catseye was following RunningAvery." She looks over at Avery, "Run VERY good! Catseye impressed. Vault overs not easy in Smooth-skin form." When Angel says shifter, Catseye shrugs, and that looks REALLY ODD on a feline body, "Have smoothskin form, yes. Furform better. Faster, more fun." She paws at the bag she is wearing. "But Catseye changes. Clothes don't. So hide bags with clothes for emergencies."
A talking lion…a talking LAVENDER lionESS. Well, that is definitely not something one would see every day. Avery answers Angel's first query. "A rather smug looking Cat playing with your friend, Miss Angel." She replies, and then as Catseye speaks up. "A /talking/ one at that." She listens to Thea, and then drops down from the branch, landing next to the woman with no gap between actions despite lateral separation. A smile. "Methinks she be friendly, if not yet a friend, however." She ponders the possibility of her being a shifter. "A were? Possibly." Of course then Cat answers that question. A bemused smile composed in equal measure of wonder, is offered Catseye. "RunningAvery, I do have to admit that does fit." She looks up to Spidey. "Coming down?" And that includes Catseye in the question, conversations are easier when on the same level!
Spider-Man drops, somersaulting to land on his feet. His body language suggests he feels a little foolish, but he is saved by looking at his phone. "ANNNND someone called Animal Control as well as the cops." He looked to the lioness. "If you CAN change…and QUICKLY…I suggest you do it. We're going to see flashing red-and-blue lights before too long…"
Thea will smile up at Spidey when he lands on his feet. She would never tell anyone about his little.. moment of dignity loss. "If the cops are coming, we might not want to be in the area. Well, you might not." She'll say to Spidey. "I should find a place to go stash this." The parachute, that is.
Catseye sighs, "No fun. At all." She drops out of the tree, shifting as she does so, landing as a bipedal cat-girl, long fluffy curly hair, tail, covered with enough lavender fur to be modest. "Catseye is lavender. Not wild. Not even CHASE anyone today." As she complains she takes a blue and white sundress and sandals from the bag, drops the bag, shimmies into the sundress. "Only chase badmans anyway. So stupid." She shifts to human form, well… mostly. She still has a tail, and has to adjust the sundress until she can get it out a slit in the back, sighing with relief, and her eyes are lavender now, not yellow, but still slitted kitty-wise. "Will have to get purse and wallet from up tree hid them earlier." She steps into the sandals and sighs. "Stupid animal control. Not control anything." Her hair is still incredibly fluffy and lavender.
Unabashedly, Avery watches as Catseye changes shape, eyes bright with curiousity. She looks as Thea makes her escape. "Farewell, Miss Angel." She says in that odd accent of hers, before looking to Spidey again. "Surely we can advise them that there be no animal to be worried about here?" The police, that is.
Another sip from that bottle of hummingbird feed, and Avery sighs softly. "Well, this has surely been a day to remember!" She glances towards Spiderman. "Was Miss Angel correct? The Police be a concern for you?"
Spidey nods, then looks at the swinging tail of the catgirl. "Uhm…maybe you can wrap that around one leg under the dress? Make it easier to hide? Your eyes are interesting, but that can be explained away as custom contact lenses."
He looks around. "Yes, I'm…not in really good standing with the police. They might just decide to arrest me because of some outstanding warrants. And I don't have anything against men and women who may just be doing their job. So, I'm going to slip away before they show up, and then you two can just be…hanging out together. You can sell that, Miss Aaronsen, I hope?"
Catseye sighs and forces her tail back under the sundress. "Hurts, like leg cramp. Have sunglasses in my purse, over that way." She gestures. "Maybeso walk with me, or get us there disappear-quick? Catseye thinks she saw RunningAvery do that, yes?" She might have been mistaken, but if Avery can, and is willing to teleport them, it would help them get over to her purse (and out of the area). She smiles at Avery, "Then with purse, Catseye buy a thank-you snack, maybe? Something sweet?"
Avery looks a little outraged by the fact that Spiderman is hounded unjustly! He seems a very nice man, a friendly one, and she is fairly certain (though she's been wrong before) he didn't deceive her about his nature. "I believe we can make do, yes." She agrees, though she won't be lying to anyone. She does take out a pad and a pen, and quickly writes down her name and number. "This is for my cellular telephone…" A bright grin. "…AMAZING devices!" She hands it to Peter. "If you should need my aid in the future, please, do not hesitate to call upon me for such. I am not without skills, and could of a surety be of use to you in a fray against the forces of evil." Oh my goodness, she's surely earnest too!
And then she grins to Catseye. "Yes, I can Walk the Space Between Breaths with you, and we can without a doubt be gone long ere the constabulary arrives, or this Animal Control." A hand is offered the catgirl. "Point the way, and I shall walk us between and swiftly."
"And sweets…those would be lovely…" She adds.